Over the years, various types of vacuum cleaners have been designed and commercially deployed. Many vacuum cleaners include a base portion that rolls or glides across a floor surface, which comprises a suction functionality and is configured to extract dirt and debris from the floor surface. These vacuum cleaners will often further include an upright section that houses one or more filters and a disposable bag, which are configured to capture and retain the dirt and debris that the base portion extracts from the floor surface. The upright section is typically pivotally attached to the base portion, with a handle located at the topmost portion, which may be gripped and used to push the vacuum clear across the floor surface. While these standard vacuum cleaners are often effective, they are typically large in size and more difficult to maneuver, which renders such vacuums less suitable for cleaning hard-to-reach surfaces (or smaller areas where it may be difficult to navigate such vacuum cleaners).
In other examples, vacuum cleaners may be configured as canister vacuum cleaners, which are typically smaller in size. A canister vacuum cleaner will often comprise a rigid outer exterior that houses a motor to create a suction force, as well as a means for filtering and retaining dirt and debris that are removed (suctioned) from a floor surface. The rigid outer exterior portion (the casing) is often configured with a set of wheels, which allow the vacuum cleaner to be pulled to different areas of a room during use. These vacuum cleaners will include an air entry port that is connected to a hose. The distal portion of the hose (opposite of the end that is attached to the air entry port) may be adapted to receive one or more accessories, which are configured to clean different types of surfaces. With these canister vacuums, dirt and debris laden air is sucked through the distal end of the hose, which then travels through the hose and into the canister portion of the vacuum cleaner where the air is filtered and allowed to subsequently exit the vacuum cleaner (leaving behind the filtered dirt/debris in a disposable bag).
Although these vacuum cleaners are routinely used today, a continuing need exists for vacuum cleaners that exhibit enhanced portability features, e.g., vacuum cleaners that can be worn, such that a user may easily carry the vacuum cleaner to different parts of a room or other area during use (instead of pulling or pushing the entire vacuum across the floor). In addition, it would be advantageous to provide a vacuum cleaner that is more ergonomic (and easier to carry) than other currently-available vacuum cleaners that may be worn on a person. Still further, it would be advantageous if such vacuum cleaners did not require the use of a disposable bag to retain dirt and debris, insofar as such bags are often messy and require a user to frequently replace such bags (creating additional costs associated with the vacuum). Furthermore, it would be advantageous to provide a vacuum cleaner that exhibits improved power management, suction forces, and efficiency over prior art vacuums.
As the following will demonstrate, the present invention addresses many of these needs in the marketplace, as well as others.